Skanksa picks up post-Carillion Hampshire relief road scheme

Hampshire County Council has appointed Skanska to complete a new road in the county following the collapse of Carillion, which had been constructing the scheme.

The new relief road at Whitehill and Bordon will be approximately 2.6 miles long and will comprise a two-way single carriageway with separate provision for pedestrians and cyclists and a short section of dual carriageway at the northern end.

It forms a key part of the plans to regenerate former Ministry of Defence (MoD) land in the area, which includes thousands of new homes.

Skanska is Hampshire’s existing highways maintenance contractor. The infrastructure firm was appointed in a deal that it said could be worth £1.5bn over 12 years.

Executive member for environment and transport, Cllr Rob Humby, said: ‘Having followed the due legal process with Price Waterhouse Cooper, who have been appointed to manage the wind up of Carillion’s affairs, we are now in a position to terminate the contract with Carillion. The contract will be formally terminated on Monday 5 February.

‘Our first priority is to ensure the completion of the southern section of the relief road from the A325 / Firgrove Road roundabout to Junction 2 to allow access to the first phase of new housing. We have made arrangements with Skanska to complete this work and will begin detailed programme discussions with them next week. We will be able to provide further updates following this.’

He added: ‘I would like to reassure residents that there is no doubt the relief road will be completed, and we are developing our options for the northern section. I would also like to reiterate Hampshire County Council’s commitment to the successful regeneration of Whitehill and Bordon.’